All week, we here at Sports Al Dente will be previewing all 14 matches on the WrestleMania 34 super card. This is shaping up to be one of the biggest WrestleMania’s in recent history, as every title will be defended on the card for the first time since 2001. Back then, though, there were only six active titles in WWE. This year, the ‘Mania card features nine title matches.
One of those title matches is The Usos vs. The New Day vs. The Bludgeon Brothers for the Smackdown Tag Team Championship. The rivalry between these three teams has heated up in recent weeks, setting up a massive triple threat tag team match to settle the score at WrestleMania. Here’s how we got to this point.
The New Day. Photo Credit: Anton – Under Creative Commons License
The Match
The Usos (c) vs. The New Day vs. The Bludgeon Brothers in a triple threat tag team match for the Smackdown Tag Team Championship
How We Got Here
The Usos defeated The New Day in a Hell in a Cell match in October to re-claim the Smackdown tag titles. This was the culmination of a five-month feud between the two teams that saw the championships change hands on multiple occasions. Every match the Usos and New Day put on delivered, making it one of the best feuds of 2017.
The New Day has the record for the longest reigning tag team championship run, a record they set from August 2015 to December 2016. The lovable trio of Kofi Kingston, Big E and Xavier Woods are considered one of the best groups in WWE history, winning tag team gold on five separate occasions. From Booty-O’s to pancakes to unicorns and everything in between, New Day has earned its spot in WWE lore.
The Bludgeon Brothers, Luke Harper and Erick Rowan, have gone through a lot in their WWE careers. Formerly with Bray Wyatt in the original Wyatt Family, Harper and Rowan have gone on to have careers both together and individually. The duo has been an unstoppable force on Smackdown Live since being repackaged as the Bludgeon Brothers in November.
The History
There’s no shortage of history with these three teams. The New Day and Usos are fresh off an incredible five-month feud that saw them face off in a street fight and a Hell in a Cell match. Before their most recent feud, The New Day and Usos routinely clashed over the then-WWE Tag Team Championships, with New Day winning most the matches.
Before they were the Bludgeon Brothers, Harper and Rowan faced off against the Usos in a series of matches for the tag team titles. Their 2-out-of-3 falls match at the Battleground 2014 pay-per-view is an underrated gem, with both teams working a brilliant 18+ minute match. Although Rowan and Harper never faced the New Day, the Wyatt Family and New Day did cross paths at the Battleground 2016 event, with New Day leaving victorious.
Luke Harper and Erick Rowan. Photo Credit: Megan Elice Meadows – Under Creative Commons License
The Feud
The New Day and Usos were facing off for the tag titles last month at Fastlane when the Bludgeon Brothers came out, interrupting the match and destroying all five men. The New Day and the Usos have tried to stop the Brothers in the ensuing weeks, but with no luck. The match became official on the March 27th edition of Smackdown Live. This feud has seen The New Day and The Usos come together to try and stop the destructive path of the Bludgeon Brothers.
Expectations
It’s awesome to see The Usos FINALLY get a WrestleMania match. The duo has never competed on the main card at the show, and that is likely to change this year. The New Day is always entertaining, and the Bludgeon Brothers add a different element to the match than a normal Usos/New Day match would have. This has a chance of being an excellent match on Sunday.
WrestleMania 34 takes place from The Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans on April 8 with a special start time of 7 pm eastern/6 pm central. The show is streaming live on the WWE Network.